It took a few hours for Cyn to get re-settled at home, since she had been away for so long. Her parents had given her time to re-settle, and not long after they had arrived home both of her parents had departed. Her mother, Julia, went shopping while her father, Charles, headed somewhere (he wouldn't tell her where). Cyn paced inside the medium-sized room that she claimed as her bedroom, her eyes tracing the familiarly colored walls, the maps of Ilvermorny and Hogwarts on the wall, and the pictures that her parents must have added to it. Everything in the room was spotless and looked as if it had remained untouched for a long period of time; which, it probably had since Cyn was an only child and she had been away at Hogwarts for the past few months.
She couldn't quite believe that her first year as a Hogwarts student was almost over. It was unbelievable, how quickly time had seemingly passed and Cyn was still in disbelief that the year was half over. She wasn't ready to become a seventh-year student just yet, but it was inevitable that it would be happening soon. Cyn sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the dark gray walls. She wondered where Aunt Irena was, this house was hers after all and it was a little odd how they had not run into her. Then again, Irena did like taking vacations and she was known to depart without a moment's notice. Still, Cyn was going to ask her parents where Irena was.
Cyn headed downstairs, her steps causing the wooden stairs to creak and groan underneath her weight. There was a crack, and then the sound of the Floo activating in the fireplace. By the time she arrived downstairs her father was wiping soot off of his clothes and her mother was fixing them supper, humming a jaunty little tune underneath her breath.
"Where's Aunt Irena?" Cyn asked, perching at the kitchen island.
"I believe she said that she was taking a trip to Romania," Julia answered her daughter.
Charles nodded, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple before taking a seat at the island beside his daughter. "She likes to travel, Cyn. It's not unsurprising that she wouldn't be here."
"Oh, I know that," Cyn hurriedly explained. "I was just curious as to where she had gone. It just surprises me a little that she'll be missing Christmas with us. She loves Christmas!"
Charles grinned, looking sly all of a sudden. "Do you really want to know why she's in Romania?"
"Yes," Cyn said eagerly. Her eyes lit up, "Does she have a boyfriend?"
Charles nodded, amusement in his eyes when it became obvious that Cyn was holding back a squeal and was practically vibrating with excitement. It was rare to see his daughter become so excited, because she usually had such good control over her emotions; although, that was primarily when she was around other purebloods as well.
"A Weasley," he said.
Cyn's nose wrinkled a little, "Those blood traitors?"
"Cynthia Winters," Julia reprimanded her daughter, narrowing her eyes. "We do not use that kind of language in our house. Irena, would be heartbroken if she heard you call her boyfriend that."
"That's what everyone in Slytherin calls them," Cyn defended herself, a little stunned at how angry her mother had gotten.
But wasn't it true? The Weasleys were for all intents and purposes blood traitors, at least to other pureblood families. When Cyn brought that up, her mother only scowled and huffed. With a pointed look at Charles, it was clear that her mother was expecting her dad to handle the situation.
"Cyn," Charles sighed.
She raised her brows challengingly, "It's true! To all the other pureblood families out there, the Weasleys are considered to be blood traitors. Why is it wrong for me to acknowledge that?"
"We aren't like those other pureblood families," Charles reminded her. "We have never been nor will we ever be the traditional pureblood family, steeped in archaic traditions like arranged marriages. We aren't a British pureblood family, Cyn, even though we are an American pureblood family. We have no business judging the other British pureblood families even if the other pureblood families consider the Weasleys to be 'blood traitors'. It's not our place."
Cyn swallowed, and looked away from her father. His words sounded wise and maybe held some merit, but this wasn't like America where things were more liberal and differences in opinions were tolerated a little more. Here, everything was steeped in tradition especially when it came to pureblood families and Cyn didn't want to risk her family's reputation just because her parents didn't want to pass judgment on the Weasleys.
"The issue with that is," Cyn said slowly, as she tried to gather her thought, "that if we do not label the Weasleys as blood traitors, we risk being labelled the same. We risk becoming ostracized in pureblood society and being looked down upon and harassed. In a situation like this, I don't think its necessarily passing judgment as much as it is preserving our family's name and saving our own skin." Cyn took a deep breath, her eyes fixing on her mother's back which was stiff. "Did you know that apparently, You-Know-Who is back?" From their sharp intake of breath, she gathered that they hadn't known that. "Apparently, he is," she continued. "If we don't label the Weasleys as blood traitors we risk making a powerful enemy. We are purebloods. We can't risk alienating the other purebloods, and we can't risk putting a target on our backs."
After she had finished speaking it seemed like her parents were at a loss for words. She hadn't meant to sound harsh, and she didn't think she had, but she needed to get her parents to realize that there was something going on. Hearing that You-Know-Who was back had been a shock to her, and she knew that it was a shock to her parents as well but it wasn't something that she could hide from them. They couldn't afford to remain neutral; British pureblood society was inherently different compared to American pureblood society. They would have to pick a side. Her motives were perhaps slightly rooted in selfishness as well. If they didn't label the Weasleys as blood traitors, one of the families they would be alienating would be the Malfoys and she didn't want to lose her friendship with Draco. Cyn tapped her fingers on the granite countertop, avoiding her the eyes of her parents as they seemed to be having a silent conversation.
"Perhaps, your words have some merit Cyn," Julia agreed reluctantly, her eyes moving over to her daughter. "But we cannot abandon our morals either."
"What if we don't have a choice?" Cyn stood up, her eyes blazing and if her parents weren't mistaken it looked as if they were slightly shiny, as if she was fighting back tears. "I don't want to lose my friends simply because the two of you are too cowardly to label the Weasleys as blood traitors."
"Cynthia Elysia Winters!" Julia shouted. "That is enough," her voice was deadly.
It didn't faze Cyn who narrowed her eyes, glaring at her mother. "No!" Cyn shouted. "This isn't like America! Life here is different and you have to realize that! I don't want to lose my friends just because you want to hold onto your morals. Do you realize that by not labeling them as blood traitors, you could be putting as at risk? You-Know-Who is back, and instead of worrying about your morals, you should be worrying about practicing our lives. What do you think we could do against him or his followers? Nothing. Isn't it better to ally ourselves with them in order to save our own lives?" A stray tear rolled down Cyn's face and she hurriedly wiped it away, even as her whole body practically vibrated with anger and frustration.
She couldn't be naive; she had to face the reality of the situation and she had to get her parents to face that same reality. Cyn was many things but stupid wasn't one of them, and she couldn't pretend to be blind either. As much as she wanted everything to be okay, and for this to not be true she couldn't stick her head in the sand or cling to her morals like her mother wanted her to. That wouldn't work. They couldn't defy You-Know-Who (though, they themselves had personally not seen any indication that he was back, but Cyn doubted that Dumbledore would lie about something like that), because to do so would mean risking certain death and Cyn wanted to hold onto her life for as long as possible. Not only that, but she didn't want to lose her friends. If she did, she would have no allies in Slytherin. She'd be ostracized and picked on, and then their family would be just like the Weasleys - blood traitors.
"Stop being so stubborn," Cyn pleaded, her gaze locked on her mother's.
"Charles?" Julia looked to her husband, who heaved a heavy sigh as he stood up and placed his hands on Cyn's shoulders.
"Cyn has a point, Julia," Charles murmured and Cyn nearly sagged in relief. At least her dad understood her point of view. "It is not wrong to let our morals guide us but in some cases that cannot be the only thing that guides us. This is one of those times. If You-Know-Who is back like Cyn claims he is, then we need to let our self-preservation guide us. Not our morals. Irena would understand that." Julia frowned and Charles continued, "Cyn is right, that British pureblood society is different than what we are used to. It is more traditional and hierarchical. To go against it would get us the label that you don't want to ascribe to the Weasleys, and it would ostracize Cyn from her friends."
Julia huffed, turning back to the spaghetti that she was making. "Why do we need to cave to the majority's opinion, when it is so blatantly wrong?" She angrily set her spoon down on the counter and whirled back around to face Cyn and Charles. "Why can we not be brave and stand up to them?"
"I want to survive," Cyn whispered, "and I want to be with my friends. I can't do that if you take a stand against the purebloods." Draco, Verity and Blaise would abandon me if we did what you are suggesting. They are my only friends in Hogwarts and we've developed a camaraderie. I can't let that happen, Cyn thought but didn't say the words out loud.
"Don't be so stubborn, Julia," Charles counselled moving from behind Cyn and over to his wife. "Don't be blind to the reality that is around us either. Haven't you sensed that some things are off? People are becoming more subdued, and the Ministry of Magic has been acting odd lately. There is something going on, and right now taking a stand is not the answer. Surviving is."
Julia clenched her jaw, "Fine."
She angrily turned back to her food and Cyn sighed, wrapping her arms around her middle as a few more tears fell down her face. She hadn't meant to cause an argument or make her mom mad, but it was inevitable that her mom would get mad. Julia Winters was nothing if not incredibly stubborn, and while that was something Cyn often loved about her mom, all it did now was frustrate and upset her. Why was her mother being so obtuse?
"I'm going to Diagon Alley," Cyn sighed, walking swiftly toward the fireplace.
"Cyn," Charles started and Julia slowly turned around.
Cyn ignored them, "Diagon Alley!" The fireplace lit up and soon Cyn was gone from their eyesight in a flash of green light, from the Floo powder.
She couldn't be around them any longer.
Cyn huffed as she wandered around Diagon Alley, brushing the soot off of her clothes. The ruffled blouse she was wearing was slightly discolored now thanks to the soot from the fireplaces, but she still managed to look presentable. At least, somewhat presentable. Not that it mattered, Cyn quickly realized. The streets of Diagon Alley were virtually empty, save for a few people milling about. Cyn slipped into Rosa Lee Teabag, a shop that sold teas and set about browsing. The interior of the store was a nice change from the cold outside. Cyn glanced out one of the windows. Maybe it will start snowing soon, she thought optimistically. She loved snow, after all.
As she wandered around the store it became quite evident that she wasn't alone. She could just barely hear other voices speaking in low tones, near a section at the back of the store and against her better judgment she wandered over. (She also suspected that the back might have the specific blend of tea that she was looking for.) Her eyes widened a little when she caught sight of familiar shocking blond hair, and the white hair of Narcissa Malfoy. Although the woman with them was a complete mystery. The trio hadn't seen her, and Cyn turned her attention to the tea bags hanging from the walls, her brows furrowing as she tried to find the blend she wanted.
"Well who is this?" a reedy voice asked. The pitch of it was high and sounded just a little bit insane.
Cyn's eyes widened as a thin, bony hand clasped on her shoulder and spun her around. The witch in front of her obviously wasn't sane, given the crazy gleam in her eyes. The wildly curly hair didn't help matters.
"Cyn," Draco breathed, his molten eyes meeting her own, and Cyn relaxed a little when Narcissa pulled the woman back with a whispered hiss of, "Bellatrix". "What are you doing in Diagon Alley?"
Cyn spun back around her voice tense as she replied, "I got into a disagreement with my parents. So I decided I needed to buy tea."
Draco hummed, moving over to her as Narcissa talked in low, indecipherable tones behind them to Bellatrix. "You decided you needed to buy tea?" His voice was thick with disbelief.
"Yes," Cyn said primly, stretching up on her toes and grabbing a peppermint flavored blend of tea. She spun around eyeing Draco. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Yes," Draco answered, staring at her with both brows raised. "You don't even like tea."
"I don't dislike it," Cyn retorted.
"You hate it," Draco pointed out.
"Maybe I do," Cyn swiftly answered. "If you must know I'm buying it, as a means to apologize to my mother."
"Are they flirting?" Bellatrix's voice pierced the silence that had suddenly overtaken the duo, and Cyn felt her cheeks flare with heat. Embarrassment was on Draco's face, and she couldn't miss the slight flush that also appeared on his face. "They're flirting aren't they, Cissy?" A pause then. "Cissy?"
"Should have taken her home a long time ago," Draco muttered as his mother guided Bellatrix out to the street, while the dark-haired witch attempted to catch a glimpse of Draco and Cyn.
Cyn just smiled as she headed to the counter to purchase the tea. He hadn't denied that they were flirting, in fact he hadn't even really acknowledged at all. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But it wasn't like she wanted him to acknowledge that they were flirting, because they hadn't been. Right? Did she want them to have been flirting? She nearly dropped the tea when that answer was a resounding yes. Merlin, she liked Draco Malfoy, Cyn realized. Cyn took a deep breath, momentarily dismissing those thoughts as she followed Draco outside to the streets of Diagon Alley.
"What was the fight about?" Draco asked, curiously tucking his hands into the pockets of his jackets.
"Something stupid," Cyn said dismissively. "It's not even worth talking about anymore."
Draco hummed, eyeing her for a few moments. "Yet you felt the need to go buy tea to apologize for it."
"Someone has to be the bigger person, even though I wasn't wrong," Cyn huffed. She eyed Draco, "And I'm not telling you what the fight was about. It's not important."
"Liar," Draco whispered under his breath and Cyn glared at him.
"I don't need your attitude right now," she huffed.
"Don't be so touchy then, Winters," Draco snarled, looking irritated with her.
"Sorry," she apologized after a few moments. "What are you doing in Diagon Alley?"
"Mother was buying tea," he said with a roll of her eyes. "Aunt Bellatrix wanted to get out of the house."
"Bellatrix," Cyn whispered, missing the nervousness that flashed across Draco's face. "Wasn't she in Azkaban?"
"Yes I was, and I'll have you know that it isn't any of your business!" That high reedy voice answered for Draco who winced and grabbed Cyn's wrist, pulling her out of the way as Bellatrix lunged forward. "Are you a pureblood? I've never seen you before."
"Mother," Draco hissed, staring at Narcissa and hoping that she would step in.
"Not that it's any of your business but yes I am," Cyn snapped, ignoring the warning look that Draco gave her. "Cynthia Winters, and I am woefully unhappy to meet you." Ignoring Bellatrix's squawk, she spun around to face Draco her face flushing when she noticed how close they were standing. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you though, Draco."
She tugged her wrist out of Draco's grip, and before she could lose the split second confidence that she somehow had, she stretched up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek before skittering back a few steps. She felt gratified when his face lit up with a blush that surely mirrored the one on her face and then spun on her heel, Disapparating away.
"I like her," Bellatrix cackled.
"Oh shut up," Draco growled, glaring at his aunt. "She doesn't even like you."
She likes me, but the thought went unsaid.
